If it was up to him, Gabriel Landeskog would remain captain of the Colorado Avalanche for the foreseeable future.
With the Avalanche season already lost, Landeskog’s become the subject of trade rumors. Landeskog is taking the speculation in stride, admitting to Mike Chambers of the Denver Post he’s not letting them affect his game.
“Whether my name is floating around or not, I’m still approaching the game the same way,” Landeskog said after practice Monday. “And that is to spread energy, be a good teammate, work hard and try to get better every day. Me being in trade rumors, that’s nothing I can control.”
The 24-year-old said he hoped to remain in Denver for a “long, long time.”
“I want to be an Avalanche, to stay an Avalanche and be in Denver for a long, long time,” Landeskog said.”
Landeskog, like most Avalanche players, has struggled in 2016-17. The left winger’s only posted eight goals and 14 points in 31 games – well off his usual mid-50 point range. That, of course, comes with everybody pressing in tough times. But, Landeskog still has tremendous value as a good, two-way player still entering his prime.
At the end of the day, I’d love to see Colorado keep Landeskog as he’s more likely part of the solution than the current problem, but if Joe Sakic wants to maximize his assets, dealing Landeskog would provide an excellent return.
